Aban Kabraji and Ashok Khosla share their thoughts about IISD

The International Institute for Sustainable Development is governed by an international Board of Directors. As a group, members set the strategic vision for the organization and guide its progress. The June 2003 meeting of the IISD Board in Winnipeg was the last one for Aban Marker Kabraji and Dr. Ashok Khosla, whose terms have come to an end after years of energetic service. Aban Kabraji, who joined the Board in 1994, is the IUCN Regional Director for Asia in Thailand. Dr. Ashok Khosla, an IISD Board member since 1997, is President of the Development Alternatives Group in India. In this interview, they share some thoughts about IISD and about sustainable development.

Since joining the IISD Board of Directors, what do you consider to be the institute's most important achievements?

Aban Kabraji: IISD has grown from a very young institute wholly dependent on core funding from Canadian government sources, to a vibrant, mature and independent organization. We have defined clear international niches with our work in trade and with the Earth Negotiations Bulletin while maintaining a strong presence in Canada in areas like agriculture and climate change. Through years of strong leadership, we have recruited quality people and have become an important player on the international scene.

Ashok Khosla: Substantively, it has made significant contributions during this period on several fronts, but I suppose I would rate the impact of the institute highest in the fields of climate change and environment-related trade issues. IISD is also concerned with processes at various levels. Externally, it has built up several unusually strong knowledge networks throughout the world, both in the North and the South. Through these, it not only benefits through the inflow of information, but also nurtures the capacity of others in areas of mutual interest. Internally, it has been able to build a financial resource base that is very solid for a civil society organization.

What do you consider to be IISD's greatest strengths?

Aban Kabraji: The institute has kept a clear focus on the fact that we are a global institution that links Canada to the world. A prime example of this is our work with the China Council on International Cooperation on Environment and Development. We have great international strength and credibility in the areas of climate change and trade. And we are among the leaders in electronic communications, especially with our networks and the ENB, the jewel in the crown.

Ashok Khosla: Credibility in the fields of its expertise, strengthened by a commitment to excellence and intellectual rigour—these give IISD considerable convening power and legitimacy nationally and in international fora.

What do you consider to be the institute's greatest challenges in the coming years?

Aban Kabraji: Since September 11, 2001, the world is undergoing huge shifts in international alliances and thought processes. Our challenge in this milieu is to define what we need to do and where we need to go as an institute. We need to adapt to the changing realities and to remain ahead of the curve intellectually.

Ashok Khosla: The main challenge will be maintaining the balance between focus—which is needed for achieving results—and multi-disciplinary capacity, which is needed for achieving the right results.

Are you optimistic about the future of the sustainable development movement and message?

Aban Kabraji: I am optimistic. The cause of sustainable development is as valid today as it ever has been, perhaps even more so. The issue has made its way into the mainstream. While effecting the sort of change we need will be tough in the short term and still difficult in the medium term, I'm optimistic that we'll ultimately get there as more people take notice of the issues. “No man is an island.” You can ignore distant wars, environmental disasters and famine as long as you like, but unless something is done, you will eventually be insecure and go hungry, too.

Ashok Khosla: Two decades have passed since the concept of sustainable development was introduced into everyday language. Although no one would claim that the policies of governments—much less corporations—are yet influenced heavily by it, leaders in all sectors today do compete quite smartly to show their ownership of it. Soon, they will have little choice but to actually take on such ownership, since rapidly growing populations and economies are demonstrably incompatible with our finite resource base. Water scarcity in many parts of the world is now an integral part of political discourse. Personally, I believe that the path from a limited debate among the cognoscenti to widespread action among the public is a matter of not more than a few decades—not because humankind will become wiser but because it does have a highly evolved instinct for survival.

After years of service on the Board, what will you remember most about the experience?

Aban Kabraji: My fondest memories will be of the people with whom I've served. By any measure, the IISD Board and professional leadership have been truly outstanding.

Ashok Khosla: Serving on the IISD Board has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had working at the policy level with an international institution. The quality of the discussions was extraordinary. They were consistently fuelled by excellent staff inputs and documentation. These discussions were always made meaningful by a clear commitment on the part of management to be guided by them. And they were carried forward by a Board whose members were clearly dedicated to proactive planning without falling into the trap of micromanaging. It was a great learning experience for me and I gladly journeyed across the ocean more than a dozen times to take part in it.